


What Never Happened

by SGALOVER



Series: The New Hartley Timeline [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Character Death, Good Hartley Rathaway, S01E15 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-20
Updated: 2016-04-20
Packaged: 2018-06-03 08:25:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6603742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SGALOVER/pseuds/SGALOVER
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hartley shows up at STAR Labs to do a little bit of testing with his latest version of the Guantlets.  After all, that Time Wraith isn't going to kill itself.  But when he finds Cisco in an isolated Lab downstairs things don't go as planed. </p><p>(I wrote another one of these before, involving Hartley being kidnapped by Cold instead of Cisco. This is sort of like that but instead from the episode before. )</p>
            </blockquote>





	What Never Happened

Hartley frowned at the empty room before him. He checked his watch to reassure himself he wasn’t early. Nope, right on time. Someone should be here, “Hello?” he felt stupid calling out to the empty Cortex. He sighed and turned to go off down the hallway. He would have accessed the PA system to get someone’s attention but the last time he had done that Cisco had yelled at him for a good 5 minutes. It wasn’t scary or anything, just irritating. Hartley paused just outside an open door and peered inside. He remembered this room from when he used to work here. It had been a lab center. Now it was mostly empty except for the giant machine on the other end. Cisco was looking at a laptop and muttering to himself as his fingers hit keys. Hartley knocked on the open door, “Cisco?”

Cisco let out a high pitched squeal and spun, hands going to his heart. Hartley chuckled as Cisco regained his breath, “Don’t do that!”

The tone made Hartley stop laughing. As did the look of genuine fear on Cisco’s face, “Sorry.” Hartley took a few steps forward, “Everything alright?”

“Yes…No…I don’t know.” Cisco threw his hands up into the air and gave an exasperated sigh, “It’s complicated.”

“I’m good with complicated.” Hartley moved around Cisco to get a look at the computer’s display. He frowned, “Why are you even working on this. The readings indicate the machine is 100% functional.”

“That’s the problem!” Hartley half turned and raised a questioning eyebrow. Cisco’s whole form slumped, “You remember we told you about the Reverse Flash right? And what happened at Christmas?” Hartley shivered and nodded. Cisco pointed to the machine, “Well I built that thing to keep the Reverse Flash contained. But as you know it didn’t and we almost all died.”

Hartley’s eyes returned to the readouts, “If that’s the case then…”

“Why is the computer saying nothing is wrong?” Cisco finished, gently pushing Hartley aside to continue tapping away at the keyboard, “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

“Why now?” Hartley asked as he let Cisco have his space, “Why go over all this data now and not when it happened if you knew something was wrong?” 

“Things got in the way. And to be honest I just assumed I had messed up. But then…” Cisco’s face pinched and he looked like he was about to be sick, “I heard some things that got me thinking.” His tone was grimmer then Hartley had ever heard

“What are you talking about?” Hartley felt fear start to grow in his chest

“I think Dr. Wells did something.” Cisco didn’t look away from the computer screen, “Well, actually a lot of things. A lot of very bad things.”

“I could have told you that.” Hartley didn’t sound as smug as he normally would have at Cisco’s revelation. But thinking that Wells was working with the Reverse Flash filled him with cold terror. The machine suddenly flickered, the field appearing, along with the Reverse Flash himself. For several moments everything froze, Hartley doubted he or Cisco even breathed as they absorbed what they were seeing. Then the Reverse Flash started speaking. Pausing at random intervals and saying odd things. Hartley blinked, able to breathe again as he realized, “It’s a recording.” He half whispered

Cisco rewound the projection and took a few hesitant steps forward as the recording played out again. He said, “I can’t believe this.” 

Hartley nearly jumped out of his skin when that all too familiar voice said form the doorway behind them, “Some would say I’m the Reverse.” Finishing the sentence of the Man in Yellow on the projection. Hartley felt his heart skip a beat when he saw Harrison Wells. Harrison Wells, standing on his own two feet, and looking particularly smug. The projection winked out of existence as Wells took a step forward, eyes fixed solely on Cisco though Hartley knew he was being watched, “You really are very clever Cisco.”

Hartley felt numb as he watched the two converse. He jumped slightly when Wells…Thawne…suddenly blurred and became two people. Speed Mirage, fascinating and terrifying all at once. Thawne drew closer to Hartley, Hartley retreated a few steps. Thawne admitted to killing Barry’s mother in cold blood and Hartley was hit with another realization. Neither he nor Cisco were making it out of here alive. He wasn’t going to let this thing have the satisfaction. He lunged at the exposed back and gasped when all the air left his lungs. The world spun, pain erupted from his stomach, chest, back, and left arm. Then everything stopped and he could hear rushed footsteps, a hand on his pained back. Hartley blinked up to find himself at the base of the machine, Cisco hovering protectively over him. So much for fighting back. Thawne really was powerful. Hartley tried to move when he heard Cisco start yelling questions. The idiot needed to run, or at least try. Now was the perfect time, while Thawne went on some sort of evil monologue. And then Cisco was bargaining and it broke Hartley’s heart.

“Please.” Cisco begged, “We can help you. We’re smart.”

“Not that smart.” Hartley could make out that same damn smug grin through the cracked lenses of his glasses. Thawne raised a hand that started to blur with speed. That should have been enough, but no. This bastard wanted to make it so much worse, spilling forth words of love and affection. Only for Cisco though. Cisco, who had tears streaming down his face. Cisco, who’s shaking hand clutched the fabric on the back of Hartley’s shirt like a lifeline. Cisco, who made not a single sound when that hand vanished into his chest and Hartley couldn’t find the air to scream. Cisco, who slumped to the floor in front of Hartley’s eyes without a single visible injury.

Hartley heard a dark chuckle and looked up through tear filled eyes at the wicked glee on Thawne’s face, “Whatever shall I do with you Hartley?” he asked sarcastically as he crouched down to hover over Hartley’s laid out form, “After all, you are my guy.”


End file.
